I Threw My Heart Into The Fire
by PuertoRicanBelle
Summary: Catori used to be the adventurous daughter of a Hopi chief in the 1870's in the American Southwest. When white settlers moved in, her life changed forever. A cavalry attack leaves her dead one night, and 140 years later she is left to search for the one thing she loved more than anything when she was human. And anger grows within her.
1. Chapter 1

"DON'T SHOOT!" My anguished voice cried out.

I struggled against the iron grip of the cavalry soldier behind me. I could feel his wretched breath that reeked of alcohol on my neck. Some fifteen feet away from me… My lover stood, armed with a bow and arrow. His eyes were full of fear, but I could tell that he was determined, but reckless in the next action he was to take….

It was too late.

With a whoosh of air, the arrow was released. The soldier moved me so I was right in the line of fire, and I couldn't move. I was frozen in fear, and I watched as that arrow flew towards me. With my last breaths, I sent a prayer to my gods in the stars, knowing that within a few short seconds, I'd join my ancestors up there.

The last thing I felt was the beyond excruciating pain of the arrow striking me. Blood spurted out, and my body fell. I gazed up at the heavens, and my last breath left me.

* * *

Oddly, I didn't feel so scared… I could feel the moon and stars looking down upon me even though I could not see, oddly, I felt… Safe, I think is the right word.

Despite feeling safe, my body hurt all over, particularly in my chest. I wailed in pain, but soon, I could feel the gentle rays of the moon shine down over my body and the pain began to melt away until I felt nothing. I breathed in slowly, carefully.

I felt different somehow now, like I was in a new body. Everything was still black as night. My eyes then slid open and everything was different. It felt like I was seeing everything differently, but I could not describe it. I looked down at myself, my dark gray dress was now a pristine white, a white cloth that I'd only seen the settlers make. And it was embroidered with gold and teal, with red fringe.

I wobbled forward, only to trip over my own feet.

"Ahhhh…" I groaned in pain. Coughing a bit, I sat up and rolled over, staring at the sky. What happened?

 _Nothing to fear my dear._ A voice whispered in the wind. I immediately became alert, for usually when you hear a voice in the wind, you're dying or dead. Was I dead?

 _Yes, you are. But I have given you new life._

"Who are you? What's happened to me? What's going on-"

 _Patience, I know you have questions; but I cannot answer them right now._

"What? Why?" But I received no answer. I shouted into the wind, hoping that voice, or whoever, would hear me, and answer my questions. I was so confused as to what was going on… I didn't know where to go, what to do. I looked around at my surroundings and saw the endless expanse of sand ahead. To my far left, I saw the canyon… A canyon that had a calling to me, and so, I listened to it.

I stopped at the edge, gazing down into the crevasses and I felt my heart leap. No, I wouldn't jump, I didn't think I could fly…

I wandered around the desert aimlessly for some time, it was different considering I couldn't starve anymore now that I was merely a spirit. But, why wasn't I with the stars? Why wasn't I in the spirit world? Is this was purgatory was? Is this what it was like? A spirit wandering aimlessly everywhere without a purpose? Forever? If so… It wasn't as terrible as I'd heard the ministers of the white settlers describe it as.

The hours turned into days, but before the week ended, I met the living embodiment of wind.

"Hello!" I looked up. A pale face with lavender eyes so light, they were nearly white, and stark blonde hair gazed at me from above. Her hair was cut to her shoulders, and she had massive white wings like an eagle. Her attire was a light blue top that exposed her shoulders and a loose, knee-length darker blue skirt with white and purple embroidery. She smiled at me warmly, holding out an arm to me, to shake my hand.

"Oh… H-hello." I responded quietly. She observed me, tilting her head.

"You're new, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" She laughed.

"Ah, excuse me. Where are my manners? I'm Akilina, Guardian of Vind." I gave her a puzzled look.

"Guardian of what?"

"Vind!" She paused when she realized I couldn't understand her, "I'm the Guardian of huukyangw."

"You can speak Hopi?!" I asked her, suddenly excited. She chuckled softly.

"A few words, yes. Not many, though. Are you a Native?" I nod.

"Yes, I am Hopi. Where are you from? I don't recognize your accent." She finally landed and her wings vanished like they were never there.

"I am from Russia."

"Russia? That really big place?" She chuckled again.

"My dear, vhere are many big places in this world. But yes, it is vhe biggest country in the world. But most of it is empty space. Most people live in vhe capital, Moscow."

"I've heard of it…" I muttered.

"You seem confused. Can I help?" I shrugged.

"I am lost… I have been, reborn, and I do not know where to go or what to do. I think I'm looking for something or someone, but I don't know what it is or where it could be…" Akilina paused to think.

"Well, you are a new spirit. Hm, come with me. I think I know how to help."

"Where are we going?"

"To visit a couple friends." She outstretched her hand, and, knowing I could trust her, I took it.

"I cannot fly…" I mumbled. She only smiled and picked me up, carrying me on her back, and she took off into the sky, and so, my journey began.

* * *

 **Hey y'all! My first RotG fic! Been meaning to do this for ages but never had the right spark of inspiration! Leave a review to tell me what you think so far! ILY!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I still couldn't figure out what I was searching for, but as the years passed, I watched as my people, the Hopi, and more tribes all over the west beginning to crumble under the white man's power. I felt their pain and suffering, and my anger turned to rage. But I could do nothing. For no one could see or hear me.

Akilina stayed by my side and gave me the support I needed. But the support wasn't enough. I kept my rage under control, because deep down, I knew that if I let my rage take over me, I would be unstoppable. My flames would burn all that they touched. Akilina warned me that if that were to happen, terrible things would have to be done to stop me.

She introduced me to her other Guardian friends, Eshe, the lovely Guardian of Spring. She was wise, clever, and witty. She felt the power of the earth within her soul, she was supposedly friends with Mother Earth herself. She could make anything grow, even in the coldest and darkest places one could imagine.

Then there was Heath, the Guardian of Autumn. He was reckless, but he had a huge heart, he had this brotherly love feel to him, and I felt comfortable with him. Even though he was reckless, he knew how to have a good time. He showed me the beauty of the autumn season. The harvest he helped bring, and the array of colors that covered mountains and valleys for miles.

And Akilina? Her winds could carry any spirit anywhere in the world. She was very independent, feisty, and smart. She'd been a spirit for over 3,000 years, she'd seen more and felt more than the rest of us combined. They all shared their knowledge and wisdom with me, and they were amazed at how fast I had picked it up.

The knowledge that had been locked inside my brain when I first became a spirit was unleashed, but if there was one thing that kept me most fascinated with was the night sky. I always kept telling them that the belt of Orion was where my ancestors were. That was where the Gods were. And that was where I would've gone to if Man in Moon had not revived me. That's not to say I'm not unhappy Man in Moon gave me a second chance… But my ancestors were waiting in the stars for me…

Everything seemed relatively peaceful, and then World War II happened. I had never seen true war before, and it was scary. That was when I encountered the Boogeyman for the first time. He haunted me and my mind. But then… Bryn came along. He was a forest spirit from England, and he was so handsome… He was shy, but he was so kind to me. But I lost something to him, something I can never get back… And I regret it, it hurt… And he left me to bleed in the forest all alone.

Eshe and Akilina found me but asked no questions.

More decades passed, and it horrified me to see the world fall into such discord. It angered me to see how my home country treated the ones who came to her shores full of hope for a new life. More anger to fuel the fire burning inside.

* * *

 **I love reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Don't do something stupid alright? I'll be back later!" Akilina called out as she took off. I waved goodbye to her.

It's 2016, 144 years since I was reborn by Man in Moon. A lot had changed since then. Wars were fought, won and lost. New technology boomed, and so did the population. I couldn't quite believe my eyes. The one thing that truly did fascinate me though were the cell phones, or "iPhones" as people called them. There was an advantage to being invisible, I could watch what people did without them realizing it. Though I have seen some watch… Unsettling things. Things that to this day I still can't understand why they would want to watch other people in their private, pleasurable moments.

There was so much change in the world, but I still preferred my little corner of the Grand Canyon to myself; to escape from the chaos and noise, here I could watch the stars in peace, silently wonder more of what I was searching for.

What it was that my heart searched for, I wish I knew. It drove me crazy that I couldn't figure it out, Akilina, Eshe and Heath were no help, and neither was Man in Moon. If he was the one who brought me back to this earth, then surely he'd tell me what my purpose was, what I was supposed to do, but has he? No! Not even one word from him since he gave me new life. Damn did that annoy me. Lately, I'd been having this strange feeling that I was being watched, it made me wildly uncomfortable but I could never find a way to make it stop.

One evening, I was sitting in the ruins of an abandoned adobe, a crackling fire before me. I silently played with the flames, see what I could manipulate. I loved the feel of the flames dancing on my hand. It felt so natural to me.

Suddenly, I heard a _crash_ and a _smack_ from outside. Probably another clumsy animal. I frequently encounter them, they're quite amusing. But, this time it sounded different. Too light to be an animal.

"Jeez, these walls are narrow! How can anyone get through here?" A voice came. I froze and listened in case there were more.

"I think ya would have to know this place ta get through it." Came another, more heavily accented than the first. I put the fire out and hid in a crawl space so these intruders wouldn't hear or see me.

A teenage boy with white hair and a curved staff entered first. I automatically noticed how his eyes were as vibrant as the sky in midday. His white hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. Behind him, an oversized jackrabbit came in. He was ENORMOUS. Straps of leather were wrapped around his body, and I saw floral patterns on his gray-blue fur. He carried a weapon I knew to be from Australia but I couldn't remember the name of it…

I scooted further into the crawl space, but my foot accidentally kicked a rock, and the sound caught their attention. They looked around and saw the rock. The boy knelt down and peeked inside, I pressed my body against the wall, but my eyes gave me away. The boy smiled at me.

"Hi there-" And I punched him.

He reeled back a couple feet, and the oversized jackrabbit laughed.

"Guess ya aren't a charmer!"

"Shut up bunny." I stared at the two of them, still backed up against the wall.

"Who the hell are you two?" I demanded. The oversized rabbit just snickered, not answering. The white-haired boy stood up, having recovered from the punch and bowed politely.

"Jack Frost and the Easter Kangaroo, at your service!" I blinked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"We're here to take you to the North Pole." The Easter… Rabbit replied, twirling his wooden weapon.

"I-"

"We don't have much time." The boy, Jack, grabbed my hand and threw a glass ball, which opened up a portal. Before I could say or do anything, he jumped right into it. And I was screaming.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I screamed the entire short journey. I stopped as I landed hard on a carpeted floor.

"Ow!" I whipped my head around looking for Jack, as I was going to kick him for pulling me, unwillingly, through that damn portal. A few feet away, a hole opened up, and the Easter Rabbit appeared. He came and helped me up.

"Ya alright sheila?" I mumbled something under my breath and took a moment to breathe, whispering a curse to myself in my Native language.

"Ah! Catori! So good of you to join us!" Another heavily accented voice boomed several yards away from me. I looked up to see a man with a long white beard and red clothes approach me. Next to him, a woman-hummingbird hybrid fluttered, with mini versions of herself hovering over her shoulders. And finally, there was a stumpy golden man, who looked like he was sleep-standing.

"Who… Are you all?" The man with the white beard laughed.

"You might know me as Santa Claus! Guardian of Wonder!" I gave him a look. "But you can call me North."

"Um-"

"I'm the Tooth Fairy!" The woman-hummingbird hybrid said, "You can call me Tooth!" The Easter Rabbit went next.

"Easter Bunny, but I get called Bunny by these knockers." He was so Australian it almost made me laugh. And finally, Jack went.

"I'm Jack Frost." He grinned, flashing pearly white teeth at me, and mock-kissing my hand. I just watched him stunned, unsure of what to say.

"I just met you, you pulled me through a portal without my consent and now you're flirting with me? Have you no decency?" I snapped. He stared back at me with equally stunned eyes. I didn't even expect to be so clean with that remark. I was silently impressed with myself.

"I- Sorry. Won't happen again." I gave him a haughty look and stepped away.

"Would one of you explain to me why I was taken here?" North grinned.

"Because… You are Guardian!" There was silence. I was a what now?

"You're a Guardian!" Tooth exclaimed, repeating North.

"I'm a… Guardian? What does that mean?"

"It means that you've been chosen by Man In Moon to guard-"

"Wait wait wait, Man In Moon? He spoke to you?!" Jack put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't get too excited." I pulled my shoulder away and glared at the skylight in the roof, where the moon shone through.

"Oh so now you decide to make an appearance! Where were you 144 years ago huh? I still need questions answered!" No response, as always. Now I was far more agitated than I had been before.

"Man In Moon chose you to be Guardian because he sees something inside of you that makes you worthy to protect the children of the world." North gestured to the globe in the center of the Pole.

"Each light is a child that believes in us, the Guardians of Childhood. Each of us represents something vital to how a child grows."

"North is the Guardian of Wonder, Tooth is the Guardian of Memory, Bunny is the Guardian of Hope, Sandy is the Guardian of Dreams, and I'm the Guardian of Fun. Each element helps a child to grow and believe, but it is our duty to protect them and what they believe in."

"You were once one of those children, Catori." North said.

I blinked again. "I- I was?" Tooth and North nodded.

"You were. You were the light of your tribe." I nodded slowly.

If becoming a Guardian meant I could figure out what it was that my heart was searching for… then why the hell not?

"Alright, I'll take the Guardian title- But only if you guys agree to help me." Jack nodded a bit too eagerly.

"Whatever you need." His expression was genuine, and he did seem to care…

"Ever since I was reborn, my heart has been yearning for something. I've tried to figure it out for myself but I can't. If you guys can help me, I'll become a Guardian." North beamed.

"Excellent!"


	5. Chapter 5

Our first trip was to Tooth's tooth palace. Tooth wanted to get me my tooth box, where all my teeth were… All my memories.

But there was a problem, it wasn't where it should be.

"No! It's not here!" Tooth cried. Jack suddenly rushed up to my side, and hissed, "Pitch…" I knew who he was talking about, but something seemed different. I saw knife marks on the walls and floor. They did not have the scuff marks of metal…

It was mysterious, suddenly I heard the flap of feathered wings, I spun around only to see a girl… slightly older than me, with massive dark brown wings of an eagle, messy, torn up clothing and dark hair tied into a messy braid. And her eyes were the most piercing of red.

The rest of the Guardians saw her too, and pulled out their weapons.

"Who are you?!" I demanded. The female snickered and transformed into a massive owl and flew away.

I gasped. No… No no no.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. I turned to the group.

"That's a skinwalker."

"A skinwalker?"

"A Navajo legend… They are Navajo priests of the highest level who choose evil over good. They're the Native American version of werewolves. They're extremely dangerous. But it's rare for women to be skinwalkers."

"How do you know?"

"My father and his tribal members used to tell children about the myths from other tribes. They wanted us to be aware of what was out there. Scared the ever living hell out of us. If there's a skinwalker here, that must mean she's after me."

"She's after you?"

"That's the only explanation." While I showed calm, I was actually freaking out. This wasn't good. But I needed to find out why this skinwalker was after me.

* * *

Despite the constant searching, we could not find my tooth box, which was very distressing to Tooth. And I felt pretty bad for her.

"This happened to me as well. The Boogeyman stole mine and all tooth boxes from children all over the world." Jack explained to me.

"Why on earth would he do that?"

"He was jealous really. He wanted to be believed in like us. But you know, he's the Boogeyman, not something a child would want to believe in." I nodded in understanding. I mean, Pitch's reasoning couldn't be argued with, but… After the Guardians told me what events had transpired after he stole the teeth, he wasn't a spirit to be trusted.

We needed a plan of action to find my tooth box and figure out what that skinwalker wanted.

Suddenly I felt a clench in my chest, like my heart was being pinched. I fell to my knees clutching my chest. Jack and North ran to my side immediately.

"Catori! Vhat is wrong?" North asked me. I looked up, but was suffering from tunnel vision. Suddenly, I had this horrible feeling that something was very wrong.

"Take me to my homeland!" I demanded, jumping into the sleigh. The desperation in my voice left me no arguments from the Guardians, they all boarded the sleigh, and through another snow globe portal, we found ourselves in the northeast corner of Arizona, near the Hopi and Navajo reservations. Once we got close enough to the ground, I jumped out and did a perfect roll.

Brushing myself off, I looked around, feeling very wary. Something was definitely not right…

Then we all heard the whinny of a horse in the distance. We turned to see a stampede of onyx black horses charging at us. And I froze.

 _We could hear the hoofbeats a mile away and thought nothing of it. But they became louder and louder and we could hear the shouts of men and the bang of rifles. The cavalry._

 _We had little time to react. The only thing we could do was run. I grabbed my baby brother's hand and sprinted towards the mountains, narrowly avoiding being trampled to death._

" _Hania? Are you alright?"_

"Catori! Get behind me!" Someone yelled. I blinked and yelped as Jack grabbed my hand and threw me behind him as he fired blasts of frost and ice at these horses.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed.

"They're nightmares!

"Nightmares?"

"Pitch's Nightmares! It's what he uses to scare children in their dreams! He used them four years ago to try to take over the world!" Nightmares? Real life nightmares? That was… Unsettling.

"Don't be afraid, that's how they sniff out their victims!" Bunny said, throwing his boomerangs at the nightmares. North used his mighty twin swords, Sandman used his golden dreamsand, and Tooth used her wings, and Jack used his staff.

I had to do something. I couldn't let them fight alone. I took a few steps back and twirled my hands around, forming a ball of glowing fire between them.

"Stand to the side, Jack!" I yelled. With all the force I had within me, I threw that ball of fire, causing an explosion of black sand that rained down on us. The fire self-extinguished, so none of us got burned. But then, out of the mist, Pitch emerged, with a winged figure beside him.

"Pitch!" North yelled, wielding and swinging his swords around. There was a dark chuckle, but it wasn't Pitch's. It was winged- It was the skinwalker!

"What is your name?" I demanded, doing my best at speaking Navajo.

"Why should it matter to you?" She replied in Navajo smoothly, she was once Navajo…

"I'm asking the questions. And answer it, what is your name?"

"Nascha." Nascha… Nascha… Why was that name so familiar? How did I know that name?

"What the hell are you staring at?" She snapped.

"I know your name somehow." She cackled and flipped me off before transforming into her owl form, which I suspected was her preferred mode of travel.

"Never mind my little assistant. She's still getting used to having a boss." Came a silky smooth voice from behind me. I whipped around to see a towering black spirit glare at me with an intensity that did scare me a little.

"Why did you take her as your assistant?" I demanded.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" He retorted. My eyes rapidly scanned my surroundings for the Guardians, but they were hidden by the mix of desert and black sand.

"I like to know the answers, good or bad."

"I suggest you be wary of what you ask whom." He replied. Then, just like that, he vanished. The dust and sand thinned out and the Guardians approached me. I was still confused.

"What happened?" Bunny asked. I shook my head.

"I-I… I don't know. He just, disappeared." I replied. Pitch's remark was swirling through my head now.

"Catori? What's wrong?"

"Pitch told me something before he vanished. And I don't really know what to do about it."

"What did he say?"

"He said I should be wary of what I ask who." The Guardians looked at each other.

"Pitch knows something we don't." North mused to himself. He stroked his beard and began to think.

"I think ve need to find that skinwalker." He finally says. I whip my head around alarmed and stare at North like he's gone crazy.

"What?! Skinwalkers can kill you!"

"I know, but perhaps, you can connect to her. If you reach out, perhaps you can get answers through her." I take a moment to think. Maybe he was right. Even though I knew the dangers of encountering a skinwalker, she might be my only option.

"If it's the only option, then alright."


	6. Chapter 6

Jack went with me to the Navajo reservation to be on the lookout for the skinwalker. There was a certain area that was notorious for stories of skinwalkers living there.

"Skinwalker Canyon." I announced, standing before the barbed wire fence.

"Creative name." Jack said, squeezing his staff.

"This is a serious situation, Jack, this place is is infamous for skinwalkers being reported here."

"Any other Hopi or Navajo spirits to encounter?"

"No."

Together we walk into the canyon. I feel a chill run up my spine and down my arms. The vibe this place gave me was, not a good one. I didn't like it, and Jack had this tenseness in his body that made him ready to fight.

"What are you two doing here?" A voice came from above us. We jumped and stood back to back preparing for a fight. The skinwalker landed several yards away, wings spread wide. I finally got a good look at her for the first time.

She had a tattered knee-length dress that was stained with dirt. She wore a tunic over that, which I was aware wasn't part of Navajo clothing for girls her age. She had a woven leather belt with a silver clasp. And her hair was held back in a messy braid. Her red eyes were intimidating and it felt like they could stare into my soul.

"We're looking for you." I replied, stepping forward. And she stepped backwards.

"Why?"

"We-I think you could help me."

"And why would I help you?"

"I feel like I know you, I feel like I've known you for a long time…" I confessed. She stared at me like I was insane.

"You're crazy."

"Why are you working for Pitch? What does he offer you?"

"That's none of your business." I wasn't taking no for an answer. She clearly knew something. There had to be a reason why I felt like I knew her… I needed my tooth box to know.

But before Jack or I could say anything, she transformed and vanished into the canyon, no trace of her.

After that interesting encounter, I needed time alone to think. But even as I did this, I was drawn to the sounds of life from the Navajo reservation. I found a roof to sit on, and I silently watched the people go about their day, and into the twilight. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, sighing.

I felt lost. I didn't know what to do.

"Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself, it doesn't help you." A voice spoke from beside me. I nearly screamed and almost fell off the roof when I saw Nascha kneeling down a few feet away from me. She knew how to stalk, she was terrifying.

"What the bloody hell?!" I cried in Hopi. Nascha gave me a grave look as I recomposed myself.

"No need to overreact." She said blandly. She had no emotion, did she?

"What do you want?" I asked once I got myself together. She shrugged.

"Pitch is going to hate me for this." She handed me a piece of paper with scribbles on it.

"?"

"It'll help you find what you're looking for." She replied before transforming into her owl form and flying away. I couldn't trust her, one part of me wanted to, but I knew better than to trust skinwalkers, even if I had this weird nagging feeling I knew her. But I held onto the paper to show North and the other Guardians if they could help interpret it.

I began to believe she was playing games with me, but at this point I didn't know what to believe. As long as I had backup with Jack, I felt a little more secure.


	7. Chapter 7

I didn't give the paper to the Guardians.

I was smart enough to know that I could never trust a Skinwalker. They were evil creatures with no good intention, and they will do anything to bring harm to you.

As I walked around the dark streets of the Navajo reservation, I saw signs pointing east, to the Hopi reservation. I couldn't remember the last time I visited. It'd been far too long. With a sigh of some relief, I made my way down the dirt road, not caring how many miles it was. Walking in the dark… I couldn't explain why but I kinda liked the feeling it gave me, heightened awareness, instincts. I liked that feeling.

I made my way into the Hopi reservation close to dawn. It was so foreign compared to the world I once knew. I could hear roosters beginning to crow as the sun rose, and I heard people getting up to start their day.

I wandered around the properties, seeing children running outside to assist their parents with various chores. I began to wonder if they still did anything similar to what I used to do when human. Ground corn with my mother, help weave baskets and blankets. One part of me said that was a little ridiculous, since we were in the 21st century and everything was made with machines, but the reasonable and logical half of me said that all the Native Americans were the poorest group of people in the United States. There was no way they had sophisticated machines and technology in their homes.

As much as they might wish…

I couldn't resist my temptation and entered one home, just to get a peek of what was going on. And just as the logical half of me predicted, there were no sleek, stainless steel or sophisticated pieces of technology. There was a nice flat screen television, though it looked like one of the smaller ones. There were electric fans. Some slightly nice pieces of furniture and the like, but nothing like the homes of California or New York City.

It was heartbreaking to see the descendants of my people living like this.

The mother was cooking breakfast for her family. She called out their names, which I failed to hear as I just absorbed my surroundings. A little girl and boy ran out of their bedrooms to the kitchen. The little girl offered to help her mother, to which the mother demonstrated how to cook the meal.

The father came out of the bedroom looking scraggly, he appeared to not have shaved in days, he had bags under his eyes, and getting a look, there were beer bottles and cans everywhere. He was an alcoholic…

I had seen many suffer from poverty, but getting a peek of it up close broke my heart, and the worst part was that there was nothing I could physically do.

"Who're you?" I heard someone say, I just about jumped out of my skin from the suddenness. I turned around to see the girl looking up at me with an inquisitive look on her face. She asked me the same question in Hopi. I couldn't help but smile hearing that they still knew how to speak my language.

I kneeled down to her level and replied.

"I'm Catori, I'm a spirit." It wasn't until I responded that my consciousness realized that this

child could see me. I was quite baffled at this.

"W-wait… how can you see me?" I asked her. The girl shrugged.

"I dunno."

"Kimberly! Please hurry! You need to go!" Her mother called. Kimberly? That wasn't a traditional Hopi name. Ahhhh no… colonization had done terrible things to my people...

I was surprised to see the Guardians having caught up with me. I found them in my tribes old adobe.

They were all mesmerized with the building. I appreciated their appreciation for a piece of history. Tooth and Bunny in particular were familiar.

"I've come here before, throughout the centuries…" Tooth said, running her hand over the

painted walls. Bunny nodded.

"I've bounded past here. It was always full of life." Jack and North weren't as familiar, they'd only come by here a few times in the past hundred years or so.

I myself hadn't actually wandered the halls of this place in so long. I missed the feeling. As I wandered past open doors, feeling the residual energy. I was a spiritual person, I believed deeply in that kind of stuff.

That evening, we sat around a fire I created. But in the middle of the night, I felt restless, I got up and went to a site I purposefully didn't show the Guardians. It was my family's gravesite. I found my mother's marker and brushed the dust away.

The cool nighttime breeze pushed my hair from my face. In the breeze I heard a voice, a feminine voice, it was speaking in a language that wasn't familiar to me but, I followed it, my vision grew hazy, and suddenly I didn't have control over myself.

When I came back to my senses, I was in a dark cave with almost no light drifting in. It was stale and unpleasant.

There was a pair of dark laughter from behind me. I whipped around with my instincts at the ready but I couldn't see anything.

"See, I told you it would work. This is why you never doubt dark magic."

"I'm glad to have been proven wrong." It was Pitch, and Nascha, but I couldn't see them. I produced a flame in my hand and held it out like a torch, but their shadows hid them from view.

"Show yourselves!" I shouted, only to hear it bounce back with an echo. Angered, I formed a circle of fire around me, but the shadows defeated me.

I heard the rustling of sand surround me, and suddenly felt my feet glue to the rock floor.

"Nascha? On your ready." I heard a dark giggle and before I could do anything more, everything went dark and I felt excruciating pain ripple through my body, and I fell...

* * *

 **Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Jack's POV**

* * *

It was still really late into the night when I opened my eyes. I woke up to the sound of a jackrabbit bounding through the sagebrush. As I sat up and rubbed my eyes, I took notice that someone was missing from the group.

Catori.

"Catori!" I shouted, standing up, and waking the rest of the Guardians. Bunny looked up at me with a dark, and tired stare.

"What the bloody hell, Jack! It's the middle of the night." I whacked him with my staff and pointed out the problem.

"Catori's missing!"

"Maybe she went out for a midnight walk." Tooth suggested. North looked around and his gaze froze at the mountains. There was a strange black shimmer moving around.

"Oh no…" Bunny said. It was Pitch's black sand! And it was coming right for us! North cursed in Russian as we all sprinted for the canyon. I briefly turned around to see a winged figure following Pitch close behind, carrying something in its arms.

Sandy and I formed a wall to protect us from the approaching black sand. Suddenly I got an idea.

"North! Give me a snowglobe!" North gave me a questionable look, but he still passed me a snowglobe, I whispered into it "Hopi reservation". I threw it ahead, forming a portal and we all jumped through it just in time.

On the other side, we all landed flat in the middle of someone's backyard.

"Aughhhhhhh…" Bunny groaned, moving out from underneath North.

Tooth and Sandy got up and looked around.

"Why are we in someone's backyard?" Tooth asked. I remembered that Catori told me about this family, and she had a particular connection/attachment to them. I went to the window of one of the kids and softly knocked on it.

The girl and boy both ran outside.

"Whoa-ah!" The girl exclaimed.

"So it's true! You all are real!" The girl exclaimed. She smiled up at us, holding her little brother's hand.

'"I'm Kimberly, but you can call me Kim. And this is my brother Jacob."

"It's nice to meet you both. But we need your help."

"Sure! But-let's go to the park… I don't want to wake up dad." Jacob offered. We followed them to the local park where we explained our situation.

"We're always told to never go into the mountains, there're bad spirits there."

"Like what?" They both shrugged their shoulders.

"We don't know, we're just not supposed to go there."

We talked with the kids for a little while longer and North gave them a little device that would alert us if they saw something fishy. In the meanwhile, we made it back down the streets, the sun was beginning to rise, and we heard voices.

"I'm not gonna do it, Lina. I've told you time and time again." It was male.

"Ay ay ay… Heath, you are such an idiot." A female voice, with a Russian accent.

"The both of you! Enough! Catori will reach out to us when she's ready." Catori… that voice. Those voices were familiar.

"Akilina?! Eshe?! Heath?!" Tooth exclaimed, flying forward and tackling three spirits to the ground, picking up the paler looking female and hugging her.

"Oh my goodness it's been FOREVER! Where have you been!" Tooth laughed. The female smiled.

"Good to see you too, Tooth! I thought you were at the palace?" We finally caught up to the group, and I saw familiar faces.

Eshe, the elegant and classy Guardian of Spring. Her green eyes flashed when she saw me, I just chuckled nervously at first. She was older than me and had been a Guardian well before me, she was not to be trifled with.

Heath, Guardian of Autumn, he was on the younger side but he and I were the same age. He was pretty chill.

And Akilina, bless her, the Guardian of Wind, she'd taken me all over the world, my best mode of transportation.

"Vhat are you three doing out here?" North asked, pointing one of his swords at them. Heath crossed his arms.

"We'd ask you the same." He replied, his Boston-esque accent obvious.

"We're looking for Catori." Tooth explained. Eshe raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting, so are we. She's been MIA to us for the past three weeks. We were supposed to go to England later for a performance by another nature guardian." I shrugged.

"She disappeared in the middle of the night. We think she's in the mountains."

"Also Pitch is back." Akilina narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows knitted together.

"I will blast that bastard into the _чертов_ sky!" She cried. North gave her a look.

"Язык дорогой." He said. She grumbled, her platinum blonde hair getting into her face. Despite her gentle appearance she was an incredibly powerful spirit.

Eshe looked at us.

"Why do I have the feel-" She was interrupted as she was knocked over by a Nightmare. A herd of them flew over us. Pitch was riding the back of one, a devilish grin on his face.

"Oh my, it's been _years_ since I've seen all of you together at once. The Guardians of childhood and the Guardians of Nature all together! What a delight!"


	9. Chapter 9

I growled and stepped forward, holding my staff out, ready to blast him.

"Where's Catori?" I demanded, hoping my fear wasn't obvious.

"Oh, your little spitfire? Let's just say my assistant is taking care of her." I turned to others.

"Assistant?" The winged figure appeared, the skinwalker…

"She's all done, Pitch. Shall I bring her out?" Pitch and the skinwalker made eye contact before turning to all of us. The skinwalker snapped her fingers, and a smaller figure was pushed out into the open by black sand.

My heart fell into my stomach when I saw her… Catori.

"CATORI!" I shouted. I felt driven by something within me to save me. I needed to get her out of there. But then, the skinwalker lifted up Catori's limp head, revealing her eyes to be different, they were no longer a happy, sunshine yellow; they pure fire. Pure anger. There was a type of anger in her eyes I had never seen before, and it terrified me.

"Catori!" The Guardians yelled from behind me. Eshe, Heath and Akilina got into defensive stances and threw their powers all at once together in Pitch's direction, but without warning, a wall of scorching heat rose up from the ground.

Catori's fire. It was hotter than ever before. But when I looked closer, I saw hints of black in it. This was a different fire…

"Jack!" North cried, grabbing me by the hood, "Ve need to get out of here!"

A portal to the Pole appeared and all of us leapt through it, closing just before Catori's fire got through.

As we all settled down and processed what'd happened, I got lot in my thoughts. What on earth did Pitch and the skinwalker want with Catori? What did she have that they wanted? So many questions and not enough answers.

Meanwhile, Heath was losing his mind, he'd never been inside the Pole before, Eshe and Akilina rolled their eyes, they were like his older sisters in a weird way.

I joined them instead of North and the others. I never really got to know Eshe, Heath and Akilina before, so I decided now would be a good time.

"How do you guys know Catori so well? How did you meet her?" Akilina smiled softly.

"I met her almost right after she vas Reborn. She vas timid, and didn't understand vhat was going on. I don't think she understood vhat she vas dead for a while. Poor thing…"

"The three of us have been sticking by each other's sides since Heath was Reborn. We kinda became a dysfunctional group of siblings. Akilina introduced us to Catori a while later." Eshe jumped in. She had her thick black hair tied up into a bun with a vine.

"Ve always thought of her as our little sister." Akilina said.

"She's a delight to be around." Heath laughed, "Whenever she got annoyed at me, she'd make it really hot around me while Eshe and Lina were perfectly fine."

"That's because you've always been a nuisance." Eshe said, lightly socking him in the shoulder.

I drowned out their voices, thinking about Catori. I had only just started noticing how she made me feel. That lively spark in her eyes… Her personality, I loved all of it, and… I loved her. And I had to get her back. I had to save her.

I suddenly felt that it was my responsibility to save her from Pitch and the skinwalker. If I didn't I wouldn't forgive myself.


	10. Chapter 10

We still didn't know what Pitch wanted with Catori, but one thing was for sure, we needed to get her back to safety.

Heath, Eshe, Akilina and myself went back to the Hopi reservation to check things out and see if we could find any clues, whatever could lead us to Pitch.

As we made our way through the reservation, Eshe's face fell, there was so little plant life. She had to stop a few times to help some plants grow and blossom. Bless her heart, she saw potential in every plant she saw, she and Heath worked together regularly, especially in the fall, during the harvest season.

While they went about helping around, Akilina and I continued with the mission.

"When did you start crushing on a summer spirit?" Akilina's voice broke the silence. I gave her a perplexed look.

"Wh-wha?" She shook her head.

"I know you Jack, you have feelings for her." She stated, spreading her wings, giving them a stretch. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Akilina laughed.

"Oh _please_ , Jack, come on, you have feelings for her." I ignored her goading for me to confess, I wasn't telling anyone, I was keeping it to myself.

As we walked, I noticed how, quiet it was. I barely heard any cars, or kids laughing and screaming, nothing. It was eerie, and I didn't like it, and I don't think Catori did either, based on her expression the first time we entered here, I knew she hated how things turned out for her people, and I felt terrible.

I heard a hissing behind me, and Akilina was gone, probably flew off to go look at something. But there was the skinwalker in her place, looking smug, proud of herself.

"Frost?" She asked, her voice was heavy, but feminine. Her eyes glinted, they didn't seem evil to me, just… lost, I suppose. I held out my staff in a defensive position, but she barely reacted to it.

"What do you want?" She gave me a knowing smile.

"You're looking for your girlfriend, huh?" I made a face.

"W-what? Girlfriend? She's- not my girlfriend." She chuckled.

"Oh please. The way she talks about you, even when possessed she talks about you like you're an old married couple." I wasn't sure if she was trying to play with my emotions or if she was telling the truth.

"I don't believe you. Now, what did you do with my friend?" I asked firmly.

"Pitch wants her for her powers. She's got a lot of anger inside. It's funny, it always seems like 15 year olds are always angry." She laughed to herself, as if she'd made a joke, "Ah, I remember those days."

I made another face, she talked about Catori like they were old friends, or frenemies, I don't know, it was weird.

"Why are you working with Pitch? What's your reason?"

"Why does that matter to you?" She began to circle me, like a vulture circling prey. She was vicious…

"Because I want to know what kind of "good" Pitch could possibly offer you. He's the King of Nightmares, he can't offer anyone any good."

"Maybe you just haven't gone through the kind of pain I have."

"You're not making any sense." I replied.

"I didn't wish to become a skinwalker!" She snapped, getting right in my face, "and for sure Catori didn't ask to become a spirit wandering the earth forever. Our people have a place to go when we die, and it's certainly not your "heaven" that you white people preach about."

"W-whuh?"

"Since the day Columbus landed, the native people have suffered under the plight of the white people. I hate them, I hate you, and maybe Pitch offered me a way to destroy every single one of you." I was shocked. I knew Catori was angry about what had happened to her family, and her people, but she wasn't destructive…

I backed away from her, but she began to follow me. As I took off, she transformed into an owl and followed me, there was no way for me to lose her!


	11. Chapter 11

I needed to lose her. I flew into the darkening storm clouds, waiting until she flew past me before taking a sharp nose dive down, right towards the mountains, where Kim and Jacob said was unsafe.

I made my way through the crevasses and canyons, suddenly getting lost in a cave system. It reeked in here, I did my best to avoid stepping on animal bones and carcasses. I found feathers trailing everywhere, the same feathers of the skinwalkers wings. She must live here.

I felt the ground begin to heat up rapidly, odd… There was no volcanic activity here… Suddenly the trail of animal bones and feathers led me to a chamber, and I suddenly fell into a dark chasm. I steadied myself, landing on my feet but feeling the nerve pain.

It was Pitch's lair. Could it possible-

"Catori!" I shouted, not caring that I was bringing more risk to myself. I heard a crash and the sizzling of a fire in the distance. That had to be her. I followed it and ducked behind a pile of rocks, a few feet away, Catori was trapped in a cage.

Her cheeks were streaked with what appeared to be… war paint, I think, black kohl was streaked around her eyes, making her eyes appear brighter than they were. And she had a few nicks on her left cheek.

"Catori…?" I whispered, inching forward, not wanting to scare her. She turned to look at me, and I swore I saw a hint of recognition in her eyes. She stood up and held a bar in her hands. I put my hand above hers, holding another hand through the bars. She looked down and timidly took it in hers.

Despite the scorching pain, the contrast of our body temperatures, I held it, and brought her hand to my lips and I kissed it. I saw her eyes flash with surprise.

She spoke, but in a different language. She must've been speaking in her native tongue, but I heard my name thrown in there a few times. She definitely recognized me.

"Jack…" She whispered. She was fighting whatever had taken over her, a single tear escaped her beautiful golden eyes and fell down her cheek, streaking the war paint.

"Oh… don't cry. It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of here." She shook her head, pulling her hand out of mine and slinking into a corner, being overtaken by shadows and… black sand, I whipped around to see Pitch and the skinwalker coming over.

"Ah Jack, I didn't realize you held such an attachment, coming this far to rescue a girl."

"What did you do to her?!" I shouted, creating a ring of spiky ice around me and the cage, forming a protective barrier around us.

"Stay away from her! She's just a kid! She doesn't deserve this!" Yelling was heard from above, and the ceiling caved in, creating dust to explode everywhere and light to flood in.

Yelling and crashing surrounded us, and flashes of red and gold and green were everywhere. Akilina appeared in the hole in the ceiling and with a wave of her arms, sent a massive blast of wind inside, sending everyone flying around.

"Достаточно!" She screamed. The commotion ceased and I finally saw all the Guardians, looking rather disheveled and Pitch and the skinwalker quite angry.

"Jack!" Tooth exclaimed, I lowered my staff and moved to the side, revealing… nothing. She wasn't in there anymore. That was it. I attacked the skinwalker, hitting her with my staff.

"WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER?!" North and Bunny pulled me back, but I fought them, "WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY GIRLFRIEND." I screamed, causing everyone to stop and fall silent. The skinwalker cackled and smacked me in the face, sending me flying backwards.

"About time." She snickered, vanishing into a flurry of shadow and feathers.


	12. Chapter 12

I don't remember who started it, but once we got back to the Pole it was a screaming match. Everyone was yelling and shouting at each other, between the "You bloody idiots!" and "You screwed up!" and constant Russian cursing from North and Akilina, I slammed my staff into the floor, spreading ice everywhere causing everyone to fall onto their butts and backs.

Eshe stood first, she was fuming. She began cursing at me.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR FROST BOY?!" She demanded. It took everything in me not to blast her back. I was not going to hear the end of this…

Tooth looked more hurt than angry, her wings drooped and she couldn't look at me in the eye. North and Bunny were fuming as well, yelling at each other. Heath just sat on the floor staring at his reflection in the ice, his auburn hair falling in his eyes.

When it finally quieted down, everyone turned to look at me.

"What did you call Catori…?" Tooth asked. I saw the sadness and disappointment in her eyes, and it hurt me as well.

"It was in the heat of the moment…" I mumbled in reply.

"But did you mean it?" Akilina asked, placing a pale hand on Tooth's shoulder. I frowned and stared at the floor, almost ashamed of myself.

"I-I…" I sighed, "I don't know…" I rubbed my face and stalked away from them, needing time to think. When I hid myself away in a room given to me by North, I promptly threw my staff at the wall, it landing with a thud.

What was wrong with me? Why was I always screwing things up?

I heard a soft knock on the door, "come in…" I replied. Tooth walked in. I looked down in embarrassment, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Jack…"

"I'm sorry Tooth…" She shook her head.

"No, don't apologize. I've seen how you act around her, you hold something special in your heart for her, and all I want is to see you grow and be happy." I looked up at her in surprise.

"W-really?" She smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely." I brought her in for a hug.

"Thank you, Tooth." She smiled again.

"Of course. Now, tell me, what do you want to do?" I frowned and thought hard on it, what did I want to do? Naturally, save Catori, get her out of danger, but I needed a plan, and backup.

"I need a plan, and backup."


	13. Chapter 13

"The skinwalker has obviously set up a home/base in those mountains, and it seems that Pitch has connected his lair to her home, and so they're working together. We need a stealthier way to break in, break Catori out of her state, get her out, and heal her if she needs it." I said. I drew out a map of the caves on the floor with frost and ice.

Eshe, Heath and Akilina studied the map.

"Hmmm, well, what if two groups can come in from the sides, and one group can come in from above?" Eshe suggested. Heath and Akilina nodded in agreement.

"Lina, Jack and Tooth can come in from above since they can fly, the rest of us can come in from the sides and push Pitch and the skinwalker into a corner." Heath said.

I nodded, that was a good plan actually, honestly, I could work with anything at this point, as long as it ended with Catori being rescued safely, I didn't care.

"Now, I don't vant anyone making any stupid moves, that goes for you, Heath." North glared at Heath, who held his hands up in defense.

"It was _one_ time." Eshe smacked the autumn guardian upside the head.

"I'll keep him in check." Akilina rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, is everyone clear on vhe plan?" North asked. We all nodded, now we had to take action.

A couple days later, we made our way back to the mountains, being sure we stuck to the plan, no backing out. To be completely honest, I was terribly anxious about the whole thing, I was so fixated on saving Catori, I couldn't remember the last time I felt this way about any girl before, even Tooth. But, Tooth was more like an older sister to me.

We arrived at the mountains and made our way inside the way we planned, I looked at Tooth and Akilina, the two of them looking just a tad nervous.

"We must be careful," Akilina mumbled, "in all my centuries, I've learned that the Apache and Navajo especially feared skinwalkers. They are powerful and exceptionally dangerous, I'm lucky to have avoided encounters with them." She made a quick sign of the cross and we made our way through the cliffsides.

Akilina walked ahead and Tooth hovered over us. The only sound was the occasional breeze, causing a eerie soft howling sound to echo through the canyon, hearing that sound gave me the chills. No wonder nobody liked coming up here.

Tooth and Akilina got ahead of me, as we walked I began to think about what Pitch and the skinwalker wanted with Catori. Did it have something to do with her powers? Was it something she knew?

Making my way through the canyon, I heard the sound of wings, a heavier flapping, it wasn't Akilina. Maybe a hawk or something flying close by? I looked up to see a large owl watching me. An owl with bright red eyes. It glared at me before screeching and transforming into the skinwalker. I didn't have time to react as she slammed into me, 140 pounds of brute power right into my chest. I fell back, my staff falling hundreds of feet below us.

"Ahhhh!" I yelled, attempting to loosen the grip of her hand around my throat. The look in her eyes was predatory, almost like she saw me as a piece of meat. It was terrifying. She spoke to me, or at me, in her native tongue, so I understood nothing that was said to me.

"Jack!" I heard Tooth and Akilina yell. The two attacked her right back. As Tooth pushed the skinwalker back, Akilina grabbed me forcefully, pointing to a small peak ahead of us. We could see wisps of black fire here and there. She was there.

The skinwalker cursed at us as we bolted out of there as fast as possible, and as expected she chased after us, shrieking like a madman.

The three of us crashed through the thin walls, sending rock and dust everywhere, startling everyone else who'd already gotten there.

"Какого черта?!" I heard North exclaim. I brushed myself off, only to remember my staff was lost in the canyon. As I was about to announce this, I felt something smack into the back of my head.

It didn't knock me out but it sent me forward. I rolled over to see the skinwalker standing above me, holding my staff like a swung baseball bat. She twirled it in her hands, a devilish smirk crossing her angled features as she walked over me and handed my staff to Pitch, looking pleased with herself.

"Noble all of you came back for one little spirit." Pitch remarked.

"You won't hold her under your control forever!" Heath yelled. Pitch chuckled.

"Oh, you have no idea the potential she has! I will use her for anything I desire." He turned to us, his eyes glowing with delight, " _Anything_."


	14. Chapter 14

I looked at my fellow nature guardians, knowing we had more of an advantage since we actually had magic flowing through our veins.

Eshe struck first, sending growth winding around Pitch and the skinwalker's legs. Out of nowhere, fire blast from behind them, burning it off, singeing a bit of Eshe's hair. Catori promptly tackled her and Heath at the same time. Bunny leapt forward in an attempt to save them, but i watched in horror as Catori slammed her hands onto Bunny's shoulders, and _burned off his fur_ , leaving bright red handprints burned onto his skin.

He cried out in pain and fell backwards. I rushed over to help him, using some ice to help cool the burns, though I had barely any basic knowledge of burn aid, I just did the best I could.

As they battled Pitch, avoiding being touched by his sand, I scanned everywhere for Catori. I needed to keep my eyes open for her, so I wouldn't get caught off guard. Everything was just bad now, I wasn't sure what I could do, only follow the leads of my fellow guardians.

I looked to Sandy, and I told him to go look for Catori. He was probably the only one who wouldn't be physically affected by her fire as much as the rest of us, he could do something, hopefully. I watched him float away into the darkness of the caves.

I needed to get my staff back, sure, I had my powers, but they were weakened without my staff, and if I had any hope of helping the others and defeating Pitch and the skinwalker I needed to get it back, safely. I helped up Bunny, "I need you to watch my back, I'm gonna get my staff back." Bunny looked at me incredulously.

"From tha' skinwalker? Frost, you're crazy!" I just smirked.

"My best asset." We snuck away from the group and tiptoed our way to find the staff. As we made our way through the darkening tunnels, we felt the ground increase in temperature.

"Ya!" Bunny yelped, clutching a paw, "bloody hell it's like tha' floor is on fire!" He exclaimed. I looked around.

"She's got to be nearby."

"Frost! Look out!" Bunny yelled.

"Wha-?" Suddenly a force slammed into me, a hot one. I twisted my head around to see Catori, eyes aflame, "Aughhhhhh!" I cried out. She shot forward, pinning me to the ground, one hand holding my arm to the ground. She looked at my staff and then back at me. She paused for a brief second, as if she was thinking, before she wrestled the staff out of my hands.

"Hey! No! Catori! Stop that!" I yelled chasing after her. Having Pitch break my staff the first time was painful enough, I couldn't let her do it too, especially with such destructive fire powers.

I cornered her into a dead end cave. I cautiously approached her, holding my hands out, showing I wasn't a threat. She clutched my staff like a life line, and I saw her hands beginning to glow. Now I had to act before she did it.

I leapt forward, grabbing the staff, facing her. And I got to look into her eyes. They were the same eyes, just… angrier. It was like Pitch struck the right match, he fueled the anger she'd tried to supress, I could see it, and I could feel it. I gripped my staff harder, allowing my icy magic to flow through my veins into the staff, and immediately I felt the results of doing so.

Her fire powers had soaked into the staff for long enough time for the ice to cause a reaction, it sizzled, and it was practically cooking the wood. She knitted her eyebrows together, as if something clicked inside her head. I didn't know what she was thinking, and I was afraid if I knew.

Out of nowhere, I heard cracks and pops and I felt the wood beginning to break. This caught her off guard, and while she had loosened her grip, I pushed forward, yelling and yanking it out of her hands, and in doing so, both ends of our powers exploded-

 _BANG_

Followed by sizzles and pops.

I found myself flung back about sixty feet down the tunnel I chased her through, and she'd been slammed into the wall behind her.

I heard the clamoring of footsteps behind me as I sat up and shook myself off. I looked down and saw I was covered with scorch marks, luckily none of my clothes were seriously burnt.

"Jack!" Someone yelled. It was Tooth. She appeared, followed by the others, "Oh my goodness are you alright?!"

"What was that?" Heath exclaimed, "that was one hell of a bang!" I grunted and stood, suddenly realizing my staff was nowhere in sight.

"I- my powers, they collided with Catori's… it-" We all knew what had happened, the evidence was everywhere. North inspected the ash and black smudges on the walls.

"Vhis is nothing like I've seen before," he remarked.

"Catori!" The girls exclaimed, rushing over to the figure slumped over on the floor a ways away. I limped over to them, kneeling down next to her. Her face was covered with black scorch marks, and burn marks. I whispered her name, but she didn't respond.

"Is she alright?" Bunny asked, kneeling down as well.

"She's unresponsive," Akilina said, "but she has a pulse. Ve should get her out of here before Pitch and the skinwalker come back for a vengeance. I have a feeling vhey'll be looking for her." We all agreed, and North searched his coat for a snowglobe.

As he did that, I reached my arms under to carry Catori, but I felt something wet. I yanked my hand back and fell backwards seeing it smeared in blood. Everyone else jumped a bit in response. Heath and I rolled her over to see her back scar, which I knew from Catori telling me before had never truly healed, was broken open and was bleeding heavily. Her dress was stained. She needed serious help.

I took off my sweatshirt, tucking it under her back to cover it until we got her in a safe room.

Once we were back in the Pole, I rushed her to the medical wing, removing my sweatshirt, which one of the yeti's offered to clean, and I gladly handed it to him. My tee shirt didn't need any cleaning so I kept it on.

I didn't see Catori for a few hours after getting her into the medical room. But it was okay. It gave us all some time to clean up and calm down. Adrenaline began to cool down and hearts slowed.

I joined Akilina, Eshe and Heath in a separate room. Eshe was horrible with blood so Akilina was trying to calm her down, and Heath just stared out a window, though he turned to face me when I entered the room.

"Any news on her?" I shook my head.

"No, none yet. I don't think we'll hear anything until she's out." He turned his head and breathed heavily out of his nose, fogging up the glass.

"I'll never forgive myself if she isn't healed." I sat on the window ledge next to him.

"It wasn't your fault, you know that." He grunted and shrugged his shoulders.

"Look, I know you and Catori are close-" He turned to face me again, eyes narrow.

"She's been like a sister to me. I knew the pain she felt watching her people suffer, just like I watched my family grow old and die. I knew what that pain felt like. I haven't had a little sister in forever, and I can't bear the thought of watching her suffer." I nodded.

All of us had lost something to becoming immortal. Akilina, as a human, had a newborn son once. The winters of Russia were brutal, and she came from a poor family. She had become pregnant unexpectedly, and without a husband, she was kicked out of her home, forced to live out the rest of her pregnancy and care for a baby alone. She knew she couldn't raise him, so she left him on the doorstep of a home, and left him, only to succumb to the cold and the wind.

Eshe's life was more complicated than she let others believe, she didn't like talking about what'd happened 400 years ago to her, all we knew is that it contributed to her fear and distaste of the sight of blood.

Heath had a pretty great life in Colonial Massachusetts. He didn't serve in the Revolutionary war, as he was too young, but years following, a bout of yellow fever struck his town, and he was the only one in his family to die because of it.

All three of them remembered their families upon becoming immortal, save for me, and watched their families grow old and die.

But, in the end, all of us found each other and made our own weird little misfit family.


	15. Chapter 15

**Catori's POV**

* * *

The first thing I remembered waking up was extreme back pain.

I slowly opened my eyes, scanning my surroundings. I was in a dimly lit room, mahogany walls, carved with elegant details, a few pictures hung here and there, and a large window to my left. I groaned and rolled over, seeing a Victorian era gaslamp turned on to a low setting, a small box with a lock on it, a few books, and a key.

I gasped softly and felt my neck for my necklace, reassured it was still there. Then I noticed the bandages. Bandages, all around my hands. My eyes widened in shock, and upon doing this I felt the massive headache come in. I gasped in discomfort.

I rolled my head around in pain, letting loose quickened breaths as everything finally hit me. I was kidnapped by Pitch… and… Nascha. I was in their grasp, they had control over me, they controlled my anger… They took advantage of me.

I cried softly, rolling over, clutching a pillow, holding it close to my body, hugging it, allowed my tears to soak the soft fabric. I began to remember my actions, and Jack came to mind. That explosion of fire and ice, I probably injured him. I felt my heart clench in pain, guilt washing over me. I hated myself. He and I had just begun to start a real friendship, and I no doubt screwed it up. I don't even remember Pitch and Nascha taking control of me…

I heard a soft knock on the door opened, no creaking. I didn't want to face whoever it was, feeling I knew who it was.

"Catori…" I heard his voice and I shut my eyes, a tear escaping onto the pillow. I felt his weight sink into the plush mattress. His cold hand lay on my leg, rubbing it softly. He thought I was still asleep.

"Look. I-I," He sighed, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I want to help you, I hope that… let, me know what I can do." He sighed again and stood up, closing the door behind him.

I didn't see Jack for a couple more days, but I saw everyone else, they came and went to see how I was doing. Eshe worked her magic with my back, giving me massages and rubbing in a lotion to loosen up the muscles.

"You had to get 4o stitches for your scar. North suspects it came open again when your back hit the rock wall. Continue treatment and it should close up entirely within a few months or so. You'll be just fine." I nodded.

"Thank you, Eshe. I deeply appreciate it." She nodded, "Oh, what're you using to help my back muscles?"

"Oh, it's a little concoction I've been working on. It's a mix of chamomile and cayenne pepper. Mix it up with a little olive oil and it's a lotion. I've been testing it on myself whenever I get too tense from gardening, it's worked quite well, especially getting a good night's sleep. Which, it seems that you've had no problem with." I nodded.

"I haven't had any nightmares."

"That's good to hear. I have remedies for anything." I chuckled. After she left I swung my legs to hang over the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. I needed to get out of this room, move around, walk…

I groaned as I got out of the bed, I opened the door, pulling on the handle and stepping out. I smiled as I walked around, seeing all the flying toys and the yetis hard at work, and the elves in their playful nature. A few of them smiled upon seeing me, as if they recognized me somehow.

I didn't really have any destination in the Pole in mind, just wander around and regain some physical strength. As I made my way around a quiet section, I heard someone talking a ways away. But I couldn't hear anything said. I walked through a hallway and was surprised to see a door decorated with snowflake designs and a hexagon above the door.

It must've been instinct but I felt that this was Jack's room. However, I didn't knock. I did stare at the door for some time before moving on. As I walked, I enjoyed the feeling of the clothes given to me. Deep red pajamas. The top was designed like a tunic, cinched at the waist with a ribbon, and ankle length loose fitting pants. Hemlines and edges embroidered with black, gold, white and a lighter shade of red. The outfit was made of silk, lined with a thin layer of fleece.

After a good long walk around the Pole, I was able to make my way back to the room. I just

wanted to go home. I'd been away for too long, and I didn't even know how much time had passed since Pitch and Nascha kidnapped me.


	16. Chapter 16

After Eshe checked me out, she determined I could go home, but she still told me to keep the bandages on and to obviously redress my hands when they got too filthy, and Akilina took me home. But I still hadn't seen Jack, I'd heard his voice, and felt his presence nearby, but never saw him. And I began to accept that he didn't want to see me, which, was okay. I understood, I hurt him, and he didn't deserve to be around someone too conflicting for him, in personality and powers.

Akilina noticed my change in mood when we arrived back at my adobe.

"Vhat's wrong?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Nothing, why would something be wrong?" She raised a pale eyebrow.

"I know vhat look. Vhat's on your mind?" She followed me inside to the living area, sitting across from me, wings gone. I sighed, laying down on a pile of furs, savoring how much I missed them.

"I just- I haven't seen Jack… at all. I'm just accepting that he doesn't want to see me anymore, which is okay. I hurt him, and he doesn't want to be around me. We're too conflicting with each other." Akilina's pale violet eyes were wide with a mix of bewilderment and dismay.

"Catori, Jack does not hate you, he does vant to be with you, but he feels that you need some space considering everything vhat happened to you. Your back vas bleeding! And you vere under Pitch's control for weeks!" I looked up at her, eyes welling up with tears.

"I feel so ashamed for everything…" Akilina's face softened in sympathy.

"We've all been there, I promise you vhat." She moved to sit next to me and hugged me, "we all go through these times, you just need time to think and work things through, you know me, Heath and Eshe are here for you, right?" I sniffed and nodded, hugging her back.

"Askwali."

"You're velcome, Catori. Get some rest. I'll see you soon." I bid her goodbye and watched her disappear into the night.

I thought about her words, Jack wanted to be with me. I didn't know exactly in what form but… it sounded good. But he was right, I needed space. Time to myself, be away from the Guardians.

I immediately got to work, cleaning up home. And, I'm a naturally traditional person, stick to what I knew, what I was familiar with. I did things my mother and my cousins and I used to do together…

I got lost in time, reliving old memories, smiling as I did so, as if they were all right here next to me. But it struck me, I never got my tooth box, so, how would I be able to remember everything so clearly…

I dropped the bowl I was holding when I realized it, and remembered, Pitch forcing me to open my tooth box, which he'd stolen. He used my own memories against me, for what purpose, I didn't know. But it horrified me, knowing Pitch had done that, but, I was powerless to do anything about it.

I had to move forward. I didn't want to dwell on it anymore, and honestly, my tooth box was lost, it wouldn't be worth going back there to look for it.

A few days after coming home, I was reunited with a few fellow spirits I had gotten to know after meeting Akilina, Heath and Eshe.

Bluebird, Coyote, Roadrunner, and Thunderbird, all respectively, and the last I met was Ashkii, he and Thunderbird were the eldest spirits of the Native population that I knew. They'd passed their extensive knowledge and wisdom onto younger spirits such and myself and Bluebird, we were the youngest and the newest.

I was beyond overjoyed to see them again, and despite his blindness, Ashkii told me the pain of my scars on my hand would fade with time. When I told him about the black fire I was supposedly using, he became alarmed. He did not go into detail, but I couldn't pry the answers from him. I guessed I needed to learn on my own.

But truly, despite it all, Bluebird and Coyote brought me to a Spirit Powwow to celebrate my safe return, I hadn't had this much fun in ages and I was more than happy to participate, even if I didn't dance well, nobody minded.

I danced my heart away that night, feeling the pain of what had happened with Pitch and Nascha blow away with the embers of the fire, but I knew deep down, I needed to do something about Nascha though. I needed to free her somehow from Pitch's grasp. Sure, she was a skinwalker, but Pitch was certainly influencing her.

But I wanted to be happy tonight, and I danced to the beat of my heart and the drums.


	17. Chapter 17

Months passed without hearing from the Guardians. I didn't mind though, as Bluebird remarked I was back to my normal self.

During the few months, I got to know Kim and her brother. They were absolutely darling, and getting to know them, they told me all about their family and they could apparently trace their family back to one man. They said they couldn't remember his name, it had gotten lost in the family record. I assured them it was okay.

They even asked if it was likely I knew their ancestor, "I would have to see a picture of them to be sure. I won't know them unless I have a name or a picture." I had told them

It'd been a few weeks since I asked them to find a picture of their supposed ancestor. It was alright though, they were Hopi regardless. Though, it was odd, I saw a lot of my youngest brother, Hania, in them both. Both in personality and appearance, especially in Kim's brother. I didn't want to raise any suspicion yet without having proof.

I lost track of Hania by around 1899. I left for a week to join Heath on some trip he wanted to take me on, and by the time I got home, he was gone. The struggle was even worse because there was no physical way for me to ask anybody if they'd seen him. And even if I was alive by then, nobody would listen to a Native girl. Still nobody does in this day and age.

Despite spending time with the kids, I found myself thinking about Jack more and more, wondering if he was alright, where he was, what he was up to… and if he missed me.

I missed him. More than I thought I did. I knew that he didn't hate me and he forgave me, but it'd been so so long since I'd seen him, and I knew he was the kind of spirit to follow, see how things were, make sure everything was okay.

I certainly didn't think he'd give that up because of me, right?

I didn't know. I didn't even think I wanted to go looking for him. If he wanted to see me, if he cared about me, he would've done it by now. After all, it'd been 7 months since I saw him. 7 months. Winter doesn't last that long.

After spending another day with them, and introducing them to a couple Mark Twain books I'd loved when they were first published, I made my way back home, being sure to take the long way back, and appreciate the peaceful quietness out here. Little to no light or sound pollution. Heaven on earth for me.

However, as I got closer and closer to home, I felt the ground become cold beneath my feet. I saw ice trails leading up to my adobe.

No. Absolutely not. No.

I ignited my hand, ready for a fight, knowing an intruder was here, I didn't want to believe it was Jack. I blocked the thought out of my head as I made my way up the ladder and through a porthole into one of the main rooms, following the trail of ice.

"Show yourself!" I shouted, "I won't hesitate-" My fire was blown out by a gust of wind, but I quickly reignited my hand again.

"Who's there!" I shouted once more. I saw a figure leap above the porthole and I heard the clatter of wood on stone and someone cursing in response.

What the hell?

I climbed out and caught the figure right before they took off. The moment I saw the staff, I relaxed just a little, but not enough that I wasn't prepared for anything.

"Jack. I'm not blind. Turn around." I said to him in a stern voice. He hesitated before doing so. But, when he looked up, they were not the crystal blue eyes he had. No, no they were blood red. And blood dripped from his mouth, his teeth were pointy and a hiss emitted from him.

My jaw dropped and I lost my footing as Jack transformed into Nascha, her owl wings spread wide, mouth open and ready to attack, screeching bloody murder. And right before I hit the ground, it all went black.

* * *

 **I enjoyed writing this chapter tbh**


	18. Chapter 18

"AHHHHHH!" I screamed, sitting up like a jack in the box. My heart was absolutely racing, I had never felt such fear before in my life.

A nightmare…

I had gone seven months without one. No!

I scrambled out of bed, my blanket getting tangled up in my legs, causing me to fall forward onto my face. After kicking off the blanket I rushed outside to breath and regain focus.

Why- why that? What was _that?!_

I needed to see Ashkii, he would have the answers. I made my way to Ashkii's hidden hideaway. When I entered, he sighed sadly.

"I know why you're here, young one." He said. I gulped and sat down across from him.

"Ashkii… I had a nightmare, about Jack, and Nascha…" He nodded.

"Tell me." I sighed, and explained everything, how I saw Jack come see me, and how he transformed into Nascha, who then attempted to attack me. Again, despite his blindness, Ashkii knew how unsettled I was. He assured me that with some sage and a day out would help soothe my nerves.

"But, Ashkii, what does it mean? Why would I have a nightmare about Jack and Nascha the skinwalker? It makes no sense."

"You pine after the Winter spirit, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. As for the skinwalker, you have unfinished business with her, and you must take care of it one way or another. I cannot answer why they became one in your nightmare, I would presume it would be because they are the most important things that you're concerned about." There was a pause as I let his words sink in.

Was I really pining after Jack? I knew that I was worried about dealing with Nascha…

I needed to think… Did I want to go to Jack, or should I wait for him?

Ugh, well I wasn't going to do either, if he wanted to come find me, then he could. I had bigger problems than my supposed "raging teenage hormones".

I was going to take care of Nascha first, one way or another.

I sought out Kim's help, I asked her if she could research ways on how to deal with skinwalkers. I could see a ghost of terror cross her face when I said the word. Even though we both knew skinwalkers were a Navajo story, it didn't mean other tribes didn't know about the story.

When she got back to me, she and I had to recount the whole Skinwalker story and break it down. We both knew that in order for one to become a Skinwalker, a witch had to murder someone, most likely a relative. The very thought made me shudder, for both the Navajo and Hopi, murder was a serious taboo. It didn't cross my mind that Nascha might've been a witch as a human, and that made the situation even creepier.

After recounting the extra details, a few I pointed out that Nascha did not do, such as wear a predatory animal skull and the such.

Then finally, she got to the part of defeating her.

"You need a shaman. Like, a ridiculously powerful one. They can turn the Skinwalker's evil back upon itself." I nodded, that much I figured. But my issue was if they would be able to communicate with a spirit? Maybe?

"Do you think you can convince your parents that a Skinwalker has been stalking you?" She shrugged.

"Perhaps, I might have to go to my aunt and uncle… Don't worry. I'll figure it out. Do you know where the Skinwalker resides?" I told her about the mountains where I had been held against my will. She nodded and assured she'd get back to me with assistance.

While she did her part, I told Ashkii.

"I will assist you on your endeavor. It has been some time since I have encountered a Skinwalker. I can give my power to the shaman the girl is able to find." I agreed and prayed that this would work.

Sure enough, about two weeks later, I went to see Kim and she told me she met a shaman who had dealt with Skinwalker problems in the past. She had already told him everything I told her to, and he was on his way to the mountains. There, Ashkii and I met him there.

"Hello spirits. I am honored to be of your assistance." He greeted, setting out his supplies. I didn't even react to the fact that he could see us. Then again, he was a shaman, of course he could…

He made his way into the cave, almost as if he knew his way through the complex passageways.

"What is her name?"

"Nascha." He nodded.

"Nascha…" He whispered, and began to perform a ceremonial chant.

I looked to Ashkii, and before I could say anything, we both cringed at the sound of an animalistic screech, like a mix of a fox and an owl. It was an awful sound, and out of the darkness, Nascha appeared, red eyes glowing like coals, and I felt a chill run down my spine. She was pissed.

She lunged forward to attack the shaman, but his magic caused her to freeze on the spot. He did something to calm her down, and the glow of her eyes faded away. He unfroze her and she fell to her knees, chest heaving. She fluttered her wings and looked up at the three of us.

He'd pulled back the veil of darkness over her eyes, and revealed the soft brown irises underneath the blood red ones. She was much calmer, but she was terribly anxious.

The shaman looked at us and made a gesture for us to back up, and so we did. The shaman began a ceremonial chant, one that I'd never heard before in person. It was a haunting sound. As he did this, I saw wisps of energy come out of nowhere and surround Nascha. She was visibly confused and locked eyes with me, but this time I wasn't afraid to. These wisps of energy floated into her, causing her to fall over, clutching her stomach.

To say I wasn't a little concerned for her would be a lie. I couldn't begin to imagine what it felt to have spirits writhing about inside you.

She cried out, I didn't know if it was in pain or anger, but that scream echoed through the rock chamber, and when the light emitting from her faded, she was unconscious. I rushed to her side and nudged her gently.

"Nascha?" She groaned in response, and I heard her mumble something in Navajo. As she talked to herself, something clicked inside me. I knew her. I knew her in life, and she knew me.

It'd been a few brief meetings back then, communication between our tribes, trading most likely. But I knew her, she was quiet, and kept to herself. We'd been friends for the briefest time, and then I never saw her again.

I don't know what pushed her to practice witchcraft, but all that mattered was that she was free of evil and its influence on her, I just hoped this meant Pitch would leave us both alone.

I helped her stand up, she was very disoriented and needed help walking. She said her legs ached, and so Ashkii and I took her to my home where I'd care for her until she came to. I got her settled down in a room separate but nearby to my own.

I decided that once she was relaxed and was able to focus, I'd talk to her, about everything. I'd ask her all the necessary questions and the like. I needed to know what happened.


	19. Chapter 19

It took a few days, but Nascha was soon back to what was her real self. Her calm, collected, kept-to-herself nature. That was a good sign, and it gave me a sense of relief. I invited her to come eat with me one evening, and she came. I offered her some food, but she refused politely.

"Nascha?" I asked her, sitting across from her, "I need you to answer some questions." She shrugged.

"Okay… everyone out here knows how skinwalkers are created, tell me, tell me why you started practicing witchcraft? In our time, and even now that's incredibly taboo. How were you not rejected?" Nascha sighed, ashamed of herself.

"The only thing… I can tell you, I was depressed, and lonely. Back then, I somehow thought practicing witchcraft and summoning spirits would help cure it. I did it alone, I didn't want my parents becoming suspicious of me if I vanished every night to go see one." I raised an eyebrow.

"I did it whenever I had privacy. I purposely isolated myself from others." I was shocked, well, I shouldn't have been. People resort to strange coping mechanisms when depressed and lonely, I speak from experience.

Over the next week or so, Nascha got back to normal, and I confided with her about the personal problems I'd suffered over the past century, and she did the same. Things were going really well and I was happy I found someone from my human past to join me in the present, even if they weren't my own family, but that was okay, I'll take what I receive.

Nascha was quite supportive of the endeavours I told her about, and somehow, she remembered Jack, in the middle of a separate conversation.

"You've never brought up the Frost boy." She said casually, looking at a book I gave to her. I looked up from my own.

"What?" She sat up.

"The Frost boy. White hair? Pale ass skin? Crystal blue eyes? I've seen you two interact, yet you've never mentioned him. Why's that?" I bit my lip awkwardly, unsure of how to answer.

"Uh… just-" I fumbled around with my words. I wasn't going to tell her about the nightmare I'd had a few weeks ago.

"There's never been a reason to?" I finally said, "I've been preoccupied with other important things." I thought for a second, carefully choosing my words.

"I just don't talk to him." I said, completing my answer. She gave me an "uh-huh" look, much like that of one an annoying but supportive older sister would give.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'm sure that's the reasonable answer." She cackled, accidentally causing her wings to explode from her back. I raised an eyebrow at this and she winced.

"Sorry, it's a natural reaction." I rolled my eyes and went to go take a bath down by the creek. It'd been unusually hot for Arizona and even I, a spirit with fire powers, born and raised in the desert, was sweating like a northerner in the Caribbean.

The water felt like bath water, which wasn't as refreshing as I wanted, but at least I came out clean and not sweaty. And at least the sun dried my soaked body up quickly. I got dressed and took the long way back home.

By the time I got home, the sun was setting. I took a few moments to admire the vibrants colors cast onto the bright red and orange rocks of the canyon. It was gorgeous.

After dinner, Nascha said she was going to go on a short flight; she'd be back in a couple hours, I said okay and just relaxed on my own for a little while. Bouncing between reading and practicing on seeing what I could do with my magic. I wanted to focus on the beauty of fire rather than the destructiveness of it, after what I did… ugh, too haunting for me.

It must've been like 10:30, and Nascha still wasn't back, I wasn't too concerned as I knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but I decided I ought to go to bed. So, I curled up in my blankets and closed my eyes.

I was almost about to doze off when I awoke to the sound of something hitting the wall outside with a soft thud. I jolted up and rushed to the window to see if something was injured.

No, when I looked out, I nearly fell out of the window when I saw Jack looking up at me. He waved awkwardly and tried to smile. I narrowed my eyebrows, went inside, grabbed a large bowl full of water I'd collected a day prior and promptly threw it out the window, and it splashed all over him.

He sputtered and coughed.

"HEY! What was that for?" He demanded.

"You're an idiot." I replied, disappearing into my room and blowing out my candles. How dare he show up at my home in the middle of the night like this?! What did he think he was going to accomplish?

I heard a gust of icy wind outside, but I ignored him. I was not prepared to deal with him right now and I wasn't in the mood. But, thinking about him being outside, waiting for something, it made my heart race a little. Did I dare?

With an annoyed sigh, I made my way back to my window, he was still standing there. He gave me a little hopeful smile when I reappeared, holding his staff close.

"Why are you here?" I asked calmly.

"I-I wanted to see you." He confessed. This surprised me, even after the damage I did.

"What?" He nodded.

"I know you still feel… guilty after what happened, but it was months ago. Look at me, not a scratch!" I sighed, he didn't get it.

"Jack… it's not totally about me hurting you, it's that our opposite powers don't mix. Fire and ice? It's not a good match… I can still be your friend, but… a relationship would never work." That was partially a lie. I was well aware that a dance of fire and ice could be a beautiful thing, but I didn't want to take my chances. I knew how powerful I was, but I didn't think Jack knew how powerful he was.

Then he did something unexpected,

"You know I want you… it's not a secret I try to hide." I stopped in my tracks. Was he singing?! No way, he could sing? As for a secret? Pff, poorly chosen words there. He hadn't seen me in months. He didn't have to hide anything if I hadn't seen him.

"I know you want me, so don't keep saying our hands are tied." I wanted him? Did he not just hear me? Ugh… This boy couldn't take a hint.

"You claim it's not in the cards, that fate is pulling you miles away, and out of reach from me." He paused, as if waiting for my reaction. Yeah, fate was pulling me miles away, because I didn't belong with him, "But you're here in my heart, so who can stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?"

As he sang to me, a talent I didn't know he had, my body wanted to turn back to listen to him, my heart wanted to see him, but my head kept saying to move on and let go.

"What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine? Nothing could keep us apart, you'd be the one I was meant to find." He got my attention at stars… rewrite the stars? My body guided me outside my room, and a few floors down, I could see him coming up, landing on the roof several meters away. We were watching each other.

I felt that I knew the song he was singing, like I'd heard it on a radio somewhere…

"It's up to you, and it's up to me. No one can say what we get to be, so why don't we rewrite the stars, maybe the world could be ours, tonight!" I rolled my eyes and made my way up to higher ground so I could watch him. Instinctually, my heart encouraged me to join in.

I chuckled, "You think it's easy? You think I don't want to run to you?" I almost stopped myself from saying those words. I didn't want to run to him! Did I? "But there are mountains, and there are doors that we can't walk through." Realistically and metaphorically speaking, I wasn't wrong.

But Jack being Jack, he pursued it, smiling I'd joined in.

"I know you're wondering why, because we're able to be just you and me, within these walls, but when we go outside you're gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all!" Whether I was speaking from my heart or my head, I didn't know. I twirled my hand, swirls of fire around my fingers and resting within the palm of my hand. I spun around, the fire following me like a ribbon dancer. I could see him still watching me.

"No one can rewrite the stars, how can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart, and I'm not the one you were meant to find." Exactly, I'm sure there were many other winter spirits he could fall in love with, maybe even Akilina! They were similar to each other in a few ways, they interacted well.

"It's not up to you," I sent fire to swirl around him, and he observed it, his crystal blue eyes glittering like stars, I lured my fire back up to me, "And it's not up to me, when everyone tells us what we can be, how can we rewrite the stars, say that the world can be ours, tonight…" He smiled and shook his head, creating a small flurry of snow and ice in his hand, sending it up to me. The snow landed on my head, pulling my hair up and back, I brushed it out frantically.

We made eye contact, sending our respective abilities to interact with each other. My fire was reluctant to touch the ice, but the ice touched fire, causing a reaction, a type of spark I'd never seen before. Jack encouraged his ice to bring me down, and my own fire brought me closer to him. They swirled around us, and Jack rested his hand on the small of my back, looking into my eyes.

"All I want is to fly with you, all I want is to fall with you," He hovered above me, holding a hand out, offering me to take his hand, and I did, guided by my heart, "So just give me all of you!"

"It feels impossible!" I cried out.

"It's not impossible."

"Is it impossible?"

"Say that it's possible!" We said together. He pulled me up into the sky, holding me tight.

"How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine, nothing can keep us apart!" I slowly began to believe our shared words, "Cause you are the one I was meant to find! It's up to you, and it's up to me! No one can say what we get to be, why don't we rewrite the stars, changing the world to be ours… tonight…" He made his way back down to the roof, landing as lightly as he could, still keeping me close to him… I knew what the last lyrics were, but after revealing my true feelings, speaking from my heart, I couldn't bring myself to say them.

Jack knew. He just waited for me to realize it myself. After all that self denial, I finally realized how strongly I felt for him, and for the first time, I noticed the true beauty of his blue eyes. I wordlessly led him into my bedroom; he propped his staff against a wall, and he offered me his sweatshirt, and I took it.

We sat down together, reeling in the aftermath of our feelings… He silently encouraged me to lay down and sleep, and so I did, enjoying the feeling of his company, for once.

* * *

 **Yeah yeah I know it's incredibly cheesy and cliche but you know what? I don't care. Rewrite The Stars is a perfect song for this pair and I wanted to write it in. There might be more The Greatest Showman song references.**

 **Also, if you're not reading this story anymore, it's okay, I know most people prefer Jelsa. Anyway, pardon me for being a lil' snippy, I've had a long weekend. Anyway, yeah! If you're enjoying this fic, I'm glad! Please leave a review!**


	20. Chapter 20

I woke up feeling quite rested. I sat up and stretched and noticed I was still wearing his sweatshirt, which remained surprisingly cool.

"I figured you'd probably need it more than me." I saw him sitting across from the bed, with a light blue short sleeved shirt, "I'm always cold, and I know you're hot…" He snickered at his use of words and I threw his sweatshirt at his face for it.

"Grow up." I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my smile, but I was obviously failing horribly. I then noticed the cactus flower he had in his hands, he gestured for me to sit by him and so I did, he surprised me by pulling up my hair in an elegant fashion and pinning the flower, the edges of the petals decorated with frost, in my hair with frost to keep it up.

We smiled at each other, and he sat up to kiss my cheek, a move that made my cheeks flare up. He laughed.

"You look cute when you blush."

"Stop it…"

There was a pregnant pause before Jack broke the silence with a question.

"Could I ask you something?" I look at him and nod.

"Of course."

"I know we've only really started getting to know each other in the past year, but in the times we've met before Pitch came back… why'd you resent me so much? From the moment we first met I thought you would burn a hole into my body with those eyes of yours."

"I don't think resent is the right word, Jack." I began, "I just- at first y'know, I didn't really know how to function around others. It was mostly social awkwardness and I cope with it horribly." I frowned and shrugged a little. But I saw him nod, as if he agreed with me. He lay on his back, crossing his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling, and I joined him.

"I can relate on social awkwardness. Even though I'm friends with Akilina, Eshe and Heath and other spirits, I was pretty much ignored for 300 years. Nobody likes the one in charge of winter. Cold, dreary, dark… lonely. That repels." He glanced over at me.

"Considering that, I'm surprised you were almost as lonely as I was, and you're a summer spirit." I shook my head.

"It's not that… it's because I have fire powers, and I come from the desert. The desert and fire isn't exactly what comes to mind when people think of summer. They think of a tropical island, somewhere in the Caribbean or somewhere in the Pacific, like Hawai'i. Vibrant colors, palm trees, beaches, sand, and the like."

As we talked, I understood that we were both broken, and lonely, and being able to look to each other was a great source of comfort. I never thought I'd confide in a winter spirit, but you know? I didn't mind.

Then I thought of a question I had for him.

"Are there more spirits like us?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, more spirits connected to a specific season? Obviously, you're the figurehead of

winter, Heath is the figurehead of autumn, Eshe with spring, and me with summer. But are there other spirits connected to each season? If there are, I've never met them." Jack smiles a little and nods.

"Oh there are, most aren't particularly friendly though. None of them can ever get along. Some have ganged up on me in the past." I give him an alarmed look, "It's nothing to be concerned about! By default, I'm far more powerful than they realize," he trails off explaining the whole situation to me, but all I can think of is that I don't think Jack really knows how powerful he is…

"... and that was that." He finished.

"In reality, the only seasonal spirits that won't bother you or me are Eshe and Heath." I nod and agree with him. Eshe was like a mother to me in a way, and Heath was like an older brother. And now that I had Jack… a romantic partner.


	21. Chapter 21

After a day or two, Jack and I agreed that we should go to the Pole and see the other Guardians. Mostly to assure them that I was okay and doing much better.

Jack assured me he wouldn't loosen his grip as Akilina sent us fast and fair winds to the pole since he didn't have a snowglobe on him. As we flew, I couldn't help but admire the landscapes beneath us… everything was beautiful.

I was still holding onto Jack tightly when he finally landed inside the main room of the Pole, right in front of the Globe, sparkling with lights. It was a happy sight to see. I was happy to see the Yeti's again, Phil in specific waved hello to me and said something that I couldn't understand. Jack laughed at my confused face and led me to the meeting room.

"Do they know we're here?"

"We're supposed to have a meeting today, I decided bringing you would be a happy surprise." I rolled my eyes as he led me down the hall. He seemed to be pretty familiar with the Pole and just about every room. I was impressed, but I had problems keeping up. How was he such a fast walker?

Finally, he opened the door to a large expansive room. North's back was facing us and he stood to greet Jack.

"Ah Jack! Glad you could join us-" Then he turned and saw the both of us, "Catori?" I smiled awkwardly and gave a little wave, and North promptly picked me off the ground to give me a hug.

"Catori! It is so good to see you again!" He squeezed a little and set me down so I could breathe.

"... hehhhhh… It's good to see you too North." I wheezed out. North laughed. Behind him, Bunny, Tooth and Sandy all appeared, and Tooth also gave me a gigantic hug, this one not as lung crushing as North's.

"Ahhhh! Catori! I'm so happy to see you! We were so worried about you! Are you okay? How've you been feeling?" She inspected my mouth as she asked, and Jack gently pushed her away to let me speak. Bunny gave me a supportive grin and tossed me a decorated egg with pretty patterns.

"Saved it for you from Easter." He said. I had to give him a hug.

"Thank you, Bunny. I'll keep it safe."

We all sat down together, and I noticed that whatever they were initially going to talk about changed, now that I was here. They all bombarded me with questions about what I'd been doing the past few months.

"Well, I wasn't alone, there were a few Native American spirits I owe for their support. Secondly, the skinwalker?" Their faces changed when I mentioned Nascha, "I called upon a shaman to save her, and she's back to the normal Nascha I once knew."

"W-wait, what do you mean you once knew?" Bunny asked.

"Nascha and I knew each other as humans. Our tribes would trade with each other sometimes, and so we had a few interactions."

"How did she become a skinwalker?" Tooth asked.

"For the Navajo, her tribe, to become a skinwalker, one must turn to witchcraft. And back then, she was very depressed and lonely, and she thought at the time that witchcraft and summoning spirits would help cure it." They all gave me looks, "Hey, we didn't have conventional depression medication in the 1870's, sure, it wasn't the wisest choice, but in her mind, it was."

"She's at peace now. She's just a shapeshifter, she doesn't have any supernatural abilities beyond that. She actually prefers to keep to herself so the likelihood of running into her is close to none." That seemed to reassure them. And so, after talking about me a little longer, we all turned to focus on the task at hand.

I began to wonder when I would be indicted as a real Guardian, surely, they didn't forget? After all, the reason why they reached out to me in the first place was to make me Guardian?

Then I remembered, I still didn't know what my center was. I knew I needed to figure it out before I was initiated, how could I figure it out?

I gazed out the window in Jack's room at the Pole. It was cooler than what I preferred, but I'd learned to tolerate it.

"What's on your mind, Sunshine?" I heard him walk up behind me. I turned to face him and shrugged.

"A lot of things." He snickered at my response, "But really, what do I have to do to become an official Guardian? What's the process for that?" He looked at me puzzled before he gave me a smile.

"You just have to figure out what your center is."

"My center…?"

"Yeah, didn't North talk to you about it?" I shrugged.

"I don't remember," I paused, "and my tooth box is gone…"

"What?" I looked at him sadly, and almost ashamed.

"Pitch stole my tooth box, and he used it against me. And I'm sure it's forever lost in the mountains. There's no getting it back." He was shocked.

"I'm sorry Catori… I know how much that meant." I sighed.

"Maybe it'll turn up somewhere… who knows?"

"I hope for your sake it does. Tooth would have a conniption fit if she found out it's lost." I nodded.

"Ugh, I know… But how do I figure out what my center is?"

"It's different for everyone. But one way or another you figure it out." I trusted him that he was right, but I was worried of how long it would take for me to figure it out…


	22. Chapter 22

I decided to spend more time with Kim and her brother. I began to learn more about them, and I enjoyed it. They had actually told their parents about me, and strangely, their father stopped drinking. There was a specific word for it but I couldn't remember it.

But because of this, I was welcomed in their home. It all happened so fast, I was welcomed into their home, I exposed them to the true old traditions of the generation I was from, among other things. Their mother uncovered old cooking recipes, and I shared stories from when I was human, to which they were all enamored by.

I did not tell them about the Guardians, or Jack, they didn't really need to know about them.

The most surprising thing the family opened up to me on was their lineage. It was fascinating, I hadn't expected anything, especially when they got to one family member.

I cursed in my native tongue when I saw him, it was a crisp, perfectly preserved photograph of my younger brother Hania. My jaw dropped slightly when I saw his face. He couldn't have been more than 19 or 20 in this picture.

Their mother, Ciara, smiled, "He is my great great grandfather. This picture was taken in 1883." I smiled sadly.

"The last I saw him was in 1899." Ciara nodded.

"He was an elusive man, he could never settle in one place. He was lucky to avoid living on the reservation, but after my great grandmother was born, we've been living here ever since."

"I'm so sorry. I've seen reservations all over the country… it's horrifying. None of you should be living like this." Kim shrugged.

"We make the best with what we can." There was a knock at the door and Kim when to answer it, based on how she greeted them it sounded like a friend of hers.

"Kim? Where are you and Diane going?" Ciara asked.

"Oh, Diane's sister found something cool near the graveyard! She wants me to go check it out! She says it looks like it's gold!" Ciara and her husband raised eyebrows but shrugged.

"Alright, be careful. Catori? Could you go with them? They have a tendency to end up in places they shouldn't." I chuckled and nodded and followed the girls. Goodness they could run fast. Sure, I was a fast runner but never as fast as a couple kids.

After five minutes we arrived a little ways from the cemetery, where three kids were hanging around near a group of rocks, they were poking at something and whispering. Kim and Diane rushed over to join to take a look.

"It can't be gold guys, it has to be some animal." Kim laughed. I rolled my eyes as I followed her, as I was curious what it was myself.

"No it's definitely gold! It has some really pretty designs on it too!" One of the girls picked it up, "Why's it got a face on it?" I raised an eyebrow.

Since I knew these girls couldn't yet see me, I asked Kim to go get it, as the way they were describing this object sounded familiar, and she did so. She politely asked her friend to hold it, and once she got a good look at it, she handed it to me. I went to go behind the rocks and my hands began shaking.

It was my tooth box!

I was dumbfounded. How on earth did this thing end up here from the mountains where it was lost? Did someone find it but leave it behind for whatever reason? A million questions ran through my mind, but I decided the fact that I had it now was more important. Since I was here now, I decided to access my memories. Sure, I remembered quite a few things from my childhood, but I knew there were blank spaces in time, plus, I hoped it would help me figure out my center.

So I pressed the center diamond, and I felt myself lose my train of thought. All the best memories passed through, such as the day Hania was born, my mentor first moved in, or when my mentor got married and had his first child. Other memories consisted of me being with my family and having good times with them, especially with my mother.

When I came to, I felt a sense of recognition run through me, seeing all my interactions with my family, that was when it hit me, my center… My center was family!

And it made sense! It made complete sense!

"Kim? I have to go, it's pretty important. I'll come and see you later okay? Don't get yourself into any trouble." She nodded.

"Is everything okay?" I looked at my tooth box with a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

"It will be…" I whispered before heading back home, retrieving a snowglobe that North gave me, and teleported to the Pole. I couldn't believe it! I had my tooth box, the very first time I was holding it.

I scared the hell out of Bunny when I landed in front of the Globe.

"Bunny, I need to see North and Tooth."

"Everythin' a'right sheila?" I showed him my tooth box. His jaw dropped, "how'd ya find it?"

"I'll explain shortly." I assured. He nodded and went to go get his fellow Guardians. While he was gone, and I knew he'd be for a little while looking for them. As he was gone, I savored how good it felt to remember everything again. The good memories as a human, not the bad ones when I first became immortal.

When the Guardians appeared, I burst into a huge smile and tackled them with a huge hug.

North chuckled.

"Good to see you so happy, Catori. Bunny tells us you found something?" I nodded and showed them my tooth box. Tooth's eyes lit up and she hugged me.

"How did you find it?"

"I didn't find it. Some girls on the Hopi reservation back home stumbled across it by chance. I don't know how it ended up near there, but all that matters is that I got it back."

"Did you access your memories?" I nodded.

"Yes, and I know what my center is." I looked up at North and he grinned, opening his hand, revealing a tiny wooden baby of a growing Russian doll set. It was me, surrounded by figures, my parents and my brothers.

"Family?" Jack asked. I nodded.

"Yes… And it makes sense." Bunny gestured for me to explain.

"A child needs support, support from a family, whether they're by blood or they're adopted. A good, healthy family is what a child needs to grow into a good person. Even if that family is a single parent and their child, or grandparents raising their grandchild, etc, as long as the guardians raising the child do well, that's all the child needs." The Guardians nodded, they knew I was right.

Despite my life ending the way it did, I had a wonderful childhood. I was happy, healthy, and I was surrounded by loving people.

It was a great feeling. And I took them to see Kim and her friends and family. Needless to say, Kim and her friends were delighted to see the Guardians. There, I was indicted as a Guardian, and it was truly a wonderful day.

I smiled seeing them so happy. Knowing how my people have been living the past 100 years, they deserved all the happiness in the world. And it made me feel happy seeing them happy. I turned to Jack with a smile.

"How do you feel being a Guardian?" He asked. I laughed shyly in response.

"It… it feels good. I know my actions in the past… weren't the wisest. But I had a lot of anger built up." He nodded.

"I know how you feel. But you got it out, and you made a difference." He brought me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"And thank you for not pushing your affections on me in the beginning." He gave me a look.

"You knew?" I rolled my eyes.

"Please, I'm not blind." We both laughed at this and played around with our powers. Everyone stopped to watch our respective abilities interact with each other.

"I've never seen fire and ice interact so gracefully before." Tooth remarked.

"We've practiced." Jack grinned.

After a few days, I fully adjusted to my Guardian duties, and I held them in the highest regard, and I developed an attachment to Kim and her family, and they accepted me as well, not just the Guardians.

Having two new families to be a part of, I've never been happier.

* * *

 **I was considering writing Jack and Catori's first time together but I decided it would take away from the actual storyline, so yeah! I hope y'all enjoyed reading this, I had fun writing it!**


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